Law & Disorder —

Oracle sues Google over use of Java in Android

Google faces a copyright- and patent-infringement lawsuit over its use of Java …

In a tersely worded press release, Oracle announced that it was suing Google for patent and copyright infringement over its use of the Java programming language for Android development. Neither the press release nor the complaint filed in the US District Court for Northern California go into any significant detail.

Google makes heavy use of Java in the Android software development kit (SDK). Third-party developers code Android apps in Java, which is then translated into bytecode that runs in Dalvik, Google's own custom VM. Google subsequently released the Android Native Development Kit, which allows developers to build Android components with C and C++. It is not intended to replace the Java development model, though, which remains the strongly preferred means of Android development.

Aside from its use of Java syntax, Google's Android SDK implementation is largely independent from Oracle's. It uses its own compiler and runtime tailored specifically for Android.

Originally developed by Sun Microsystems as a "write-once, run anywhere" language, Java became the property of Oracle when it purchased Sun in April 2009. Java was a significant part of the deal for Oracle, as it has been a major player in the world of Java middleware.

Prior to its acquisition by Oracle, Sun proved hostile to the Harmony Project, the Apache Software Foundation's attempt to build an Apache-licensed Java SE implementation. In addition to Dalvik, Google also uses Harmony's class libraries in Android, which has apparently aroused the ire of Oracle.

In the complaint, a copy of which was posted on VentureBeat, Oracle claims that Android, the Android SDK, and Dalvik all infringe on seven patents owned by the database giant. Oracle also accuses Google of "knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully" copying, preparing, publishing, and distributed its IP.

The fact that Oracle has chosen to sue Google over its implementation is sure to cause concern in the wider Java community.

Oracle did not respond to our requests for comment in time for publication. Google told Ars that it had yet to be served with the complaint and was therefore unable to comment.

Eric Bangeman
Eric has been using personal computers since 1980 and writing about them at Ars Technica since 2003, where he currently serves as Managing Editor. Twitter@ericbangeman